


Jo Jones

by dragonwings948



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Coffee, Coffee Shops, Companions, Female Friendship, First Meetings, Friendship, Memories, POV Bill Potts, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-05-01 00:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14508489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: While out on a normal venture to her favourite coffee shop, Bill encounters a slightly crazy woman who says just about anything and everything. However, she soon realises that she has much more in common with this stranger than she could have ever imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why, but I couldn't shake the thought of Bill and Jo meeting each other. It just seemed so perfect!! They're two of my favourite companions, and I think they'd get along splendidly. Thus, this fic was born. I have to say, I think this is one of my favourite fics I've ever written. I had such a blast writing these two together!
> 
> I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Dedicated to reallyginnyf on Tumblr because it meant a lot to me that someone else was really excited about this idea! :)

            “So, where are we going on Saturday?” Bill grinned at the Doctor, already feeling the thrill of adventure running through her veins.

            He glanced up from his papers and raised his eyebrows. “Oh, sorry, no trip this Saturday.”

            Bill lifted her arms in a questioning gesture, feeling instantly put out. “Why not?”

            “I have…” he turned back to his papers and started scribbling on the top of one. “Important things to do.”

            Bill crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the doorframe. “‘Important things’ like going to see Missy?”

            The Doctor’s eyes slowly rose to meet hers. He had stopped getting frustrated at her mentioning Missy when her comments had evolved from teasing to condemning. Now that she had met Missy herself, she knew that the Doctor’s strange friend was not someone to be pitied, but to be feared.

            “No,” he said gently, as if fearing an outburst.

            She almost believed him. _Almost._

            “You can go get yourself a coffee or something,” he continued, turning his attention away from her again.

            Bill rolled her eyes and huffed. “Right, because that’s better than traveling across the universe.”

            The Doctor ignored the comment, so Bill tried again. “Can we go somewhere tomorrow, then?”

            Without looking up, the Doctor murmured, “We’ll see.”

* * *

 

            Bill hadn’t planned on actually taking the Doctor’s advice, but when she woke up on Saturday morning after being chased halfway around some planet by a three-horned alien rhino the day before, the idea of sitting quietly in her favourite coffee shop seemed appealing. And so it was that Bill found herself walking through Bristol, inhaling the crisp morning air and considering the fact that no matter where she went with the Doctor, _this_ planet would always be home. The monotonous sounds of the city were comforting and familiar, making her forget about her aching legs.

            As she neared the coffee shop, a group of people huddled together on the sidewalk caught her attention. There were about twenty of them, most holding cheaply made signs and talking loudly. Bill squinted to make out what the signs said. She neared the protestors and quickly realised that they were speaking out against testing on animals, as they stood in front of a popular cosmetics shop.

            “Good for you, mates,” she muttered to herself as she took one more look at them before walking into the coffee shop. She always appreciated people who had the guts to stand up for what they believed in.

            Which is why, most likely, the Doctor had so instantly grabbed her attention all those months ago.

            In a matter of a few minutes, Bill sat at a table right next to the large front window of the shop, holding a warm paper cup between her hands. The taste of the coffee should have reminded her of home, of her normal life, but instead, as she took the first hesitant sip that scalded her tongue, she was reminded of when she sat at the base of a half demolished Monk statue with the Doctor. Another sip, and she remembered wandering through the wonders of the 1814 Frost Fair.

            It was an unavoidable fact: the Doctor was a permanent part of her life now, and even after the events of yesterday, she still wished that they were going somewhere else today, or at least doing _something._ He had quickly become her best friend, and everything seemed so much duller without him.

            Yesterday, she had tried to plan a movie night instead of an adventure for today, but the Doctor (especially grouchy after scratching his sonic sunglasses on one of the rhino’s horns) had refused, saying that he wouldn’t enjoy it. Nardole had seemed interested, but neither of them could convince the Doctor of it.

            But Bill was determined. She smiled to herself at the thought. One day, she was going to make the Doctor watch her favourite movies. She imagined that he’d probably love them, but try to pretend like they were stupid and point out all the things that were wrong with them.

            “Excuse me.”

            Bill was rattled from her thoughts by an unfamiliar voice. She looked up to see an older woman standing in front of her and smiling apologetically, a poster board folded up underneath her arm and a cup of coffee in her hand.

            “I’m terribly sorry, but would you mind if I sat here just to catch my breath for a few minutes?”

            Bill took a quick glance around the shop and realised that it had become completely full; with lots of people carrying signs and chatting excitedly, she realised that the protestors must have finished or taken a coffee break and had all come here.

            She noticed again the poster board underneath the woman’s arm as she looked back at her. She was probably one of the protestors too.

            “Yeah,” Bill said quickly, realising she had been thinking for too long and the woman probably thought she was rude. “Yeah, no problem.”

            The woman beamed a wide smile. “Oh, thank you so much!” She chuckled as she sat down. “You know, I normally wouldn’t mind standing, but when you get old like me, sometimes you just have to take a rest!”

            Bill laughed a little, though really the awkwardness of the situation twisted her gut. She didn’t mind meeting new people, but already this woman seemed to be the kind of person that just said whatever came to mind. And, anyways, Bill really just wanted to be alone with her thoughts, but now that this woman was here, she felt obligated to talk to her.

            “Were you part of that protest, then?”

            “Oh yes!” She patted the sign that she had leaned against her chair. “We’ve been out there since six o’ clock, and it’s a lot more tiring than it looks.”

            “Something about animal rights?” Bill asked, remembering what she had seen on the signs.

            “Testing beauty products on animals!” A fire seemed to light in the woman’s eyes. She pushed a stray lock of silvery blonde hair out of her face and leaned forward on the edge of her seat. “Really it’s horrible the things they allow to go on! It’s one of the most popular cosmetic brands in the country!”

            Bill admired the woman’s conviction. It reminded her, in a way, of the Doctor. “That’s awful,” she agreed, and then nodded at the sign. “You sound like you’ve done this sort of thing before.”

            The woman laughed. “Sometimes I think it’s all I ever do. I’ve been all over the place; just about everywhere you can think of! Someone has to do it: stand up for people, or animals, I suppose, who can’t stand up for themselves. It’s the only way to make the world better.” She took a sip of her coffee and gave a small shrug as if to say, _“Not bad.”_

            Bill stared at her in awe. Here she was, thinking, this woman was slightly crazy, when actually she was a hero. “That’s like… _so_ incredible. How do you even get started doing that?”

            “Well, I knew this man a long time ago,” the woman said with a fond smile. “He taught me to look at the world, well, the universe, really, differently. And then I met my husband, and we agreed that we wanted to change the world.” She paused for a moment, seemingly just remembering something. “Oh, but what about you, darling? I’ve been blabbing away and you haven’t had a chance to say a word.”

            Bill shrugged with a smile. What could she say? Apart from her life with the Doctor, she served chips and attended lectures. “My life isn’t that exciting.” She couldn’t help but recall racing around trees through a seemingly endless jungle, crying out as she tripped over a root and the rhino’s footsteps shook the ground. Absentmindedly she brushed her right cheek, where she had received a small scratch from an outcropping branch.

“I serve chips at the St. Luke’s,” she said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder in the general direction of the university, “and take lessons from this old professor.” She couldn’t help but grin smugly as she called the Doctor “old.”

            The woman gave Bill a knowing look over her cup of coffee. “You like him a lot, don’t you?”

            Bill’s smile grew wider. “He’s not just my tutor, he’s my friend. Nothing weird,” she said quickly, “but, like you said about the man you knew…he taught me to look at the universe differently.”

            The woman smiled too. “He sounds a lot like the man I knew at UNIT. Sometimes I considered him my best friend. Other times,” she laughed, “I wanted nothing more than to slap him.”

            Bill couldn’t help but laugh at the description that could so easily be applied to the Doctor as well. “Oh my god, me too.” She let the rest of the woman’s sentence run through her head. “You worked for UNIT? Like, the alien people?”

            “‘The alien people?’” the woman repeated. “Is that what they’re calling us now?” She shook her head with a chuckle. “I worked for the scientific advisor. It was a long time ago, but sometimes they still call me in for favours.”

            “Wow,” Bill said, trying to think of how to choose her words. She was interested in what this woman knew about aliens after working with UNIT. “So is it true, the stuff they say that has been on Earth? Like the aliens and stuff?”

            “Oh, everyone thinks I’m crazy.” She waved it off like it was nothing. “I’ve seen things that most people wouldn’t even believe. My time at UNIT made me realise that the world is so more amazing…and so more dangerous…than I ever imagined.” She looked at Bill, who couldn’t help but look a little dazed as this woman just openly admitted that she had seen aliens, and probably mistook her expression for fear because she quickly added, “Not to worry, though. None of the aliens I’ve seen are ever a match for UNIT and the Doctor.”

            Bill leaned forward, stunned out of her stupor by the sound of the Doctor’s name. “The Doctor? You knew him?”

            The woman’s eyes widened and her smile grew impossibly bigger. “Do _you_ know him?”

            “He’s my professor! But he doesn’t actually lecture me; not anymore, really. We travel in the—”

            “In the TARDIS?” the woman interrupted.

            “Yeah!” Bill laughed in disbelief. “I’ve been to all sorts of places, all over the universe!”

            “Oh, I know how that is. Does he still run into trouble wherever he goes?”

            “Yep, sounds about right.” They both laughed, and Bill couldn’t believe what was happening.

            “How many people has the Doctor traveled with?” Bill asked. “Is there a club? There should be a club.”

            The woman chuckled. “You know, there really should be! There are so many of us, and I’ve met several of them over the years. Most of them are out there changing the world like the Doctor taught them to.”

            Bill grinned hugely at her newfound friend, who she had so much more in common with than she could have ever imagined. “Amazing,” she breathed. Then, thinking about the impossibility that this should happen, she remembered that it had been the Doctor’s idea for her to go get coffee.

            “Did he tell you I’d be here? Or did he know you’d be here?”

            Her smile faded a little and a tinge of sadness came into her eyes. “I haven’t seen the Doctor in a long time. He probably has a different face now than the last time I saw him.”

            “He doesn’t, you know, come visit you or anything?”

            “I stumbled upon him once after I left him, by accident. I got married, you see,” she explained. “And I’ll never forget his face the last time I saw him back then. We were having a little engagement party but the Doctor kept his distance, and I just looked at him from across the room and he just looked so…sad. Like I could finally see that he was hundreds of years old.” Her eyes were wistful, obviously seeing something that had happened a long time ago. “He doesn’t like endings. Doesn’t like to say goodbye. I suppose that’s why he hasn’t tried to see me more. That’s what I tell myself, anyway,” she added with a small laugh.

            “Do you want to see him?” Bill asked softly. She could tell that the woman missed him; anyone would. Bill tried to imagine what it would be like, being completely cut off from the Doctor for so long, knowing he was still out there. The woman could have even shown resentment for Bill being like a replacement, and Bill wouldn’t have blamed her for it. But instead she had showed only kindness.

            The woman’s eyes brightened. “Well, if he…if he wants to see me…”

            On an impulse, Bill put her hand over the woman’s and looked into her eyes. “I’m sure he does.”

            The woman smiled. “Thank you, darling.” She laughed as she extended her hand. “Jo Jones.”

            “Bill Potts,” Bill said as she shook Jo’s hand. “The Doctor’s ‘busy’ today,” she explained, drawing quotes in the air as she retracted her hand, “but I’m sure he’ll want to see you soon. And, you know, he has the TARDIS, so really he could meet you anywhere.”

            “I’m here in London for two more days before I meet my husband in Zambia,” Jo said. “I can come to the university tomorrow. That way I can see you again too before I go!” She turned her head and Bill followed her gaze to see that most of the protestors were stirring and getting up from their tables.

            “I’d better get going.” Jo gulped down another swig of coffee as she stood from her chair. “It was so lovely to meet you, Bill,” she said with a warm smile.           

            “Yeah, you too!”

            Jo huffed, as if indecisive, then said, “Oh, come here,” and walked around the table to wrap Bill in a hug.

            Bill sat stiff for a moment before tentatively returning the embrace. She had only known this woman for a few minutes, and yet she already felt like she knew her better than classmates she had known for months. The hug was a bit much, yes, but it was like…a grandmother’s hug. Not that Bill knew what that was like, but now she thought she understood a little.

            Jo pulled away after a moment and held onto Bill’s shoulders. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She flashed one more wide grin before grabbing her sign and hurrying out the door to join the other protestors.

            Bill stared at her cup of coffee that had sat untouched for the last several minutes. “Wow,” was all she could say, completely overwhelmed by what had just happened. She smiled. “Wait till I tell the Doctor about this.”

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter just sort of wrote itself. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it, but then Bill took charge and I just let her have it. XD 
> 
> I find it interesting that Bill never got the whole "wait I'm just one in a long line of companions" realisation moment in the show; I always like to see how companions react to that. Under normal circumstances, I don't think Bill would have reacted this way. But after meeting Jo...well, you'll see. 
> 
> P.S. Thank you all for the amazing response to the first chapter!! I didn't even think that many people would even read this fic, let alone leave so many lovely comments! :)

            “Bill.” By the way the Doctor said her name when he answered the phone, Bill knew he had debated whether or not to even pick up her call. “You’re really not going to get me to watch those movies.”

            Bill rolled her eyes as she walked across the street, glancing back over her shoulder at the protestors. She could just spot Jo’s gleaming blonde hair in the midst of the crowd. “This isn’t about that,” she said, turning back to watch where she was going. “I just met someone. Someone I think you’ll want to see.”

            Silence. The Doctor didn’t say anything for so long that Bill wondered if the call had dropped. “Doctor?”

            “Who was it?” he asked. Bill couldn’t quite distinguish the emotion in his voice; something like guilt, but with a note of weariness too. When he knew it was Jo, he would change his tune. She knew it.

            “Meet me in your office in ten minutes, okay?” Bill hung up before he could protest, knowing he would be there regardless. He was too curious of a person to resist. No matter what business he had with Missy, it could wait. From what Bill could tell, Jo Jones was much more important.

            Just about nine minutes later, Bill found herself in the doorway of the Doctor’s office. He was waiting at his desk, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

            “Top marks for manipulation, Miss Potts,” he said with his own personal brand of sarcasm, the kind that made her feel angry and guilty at the same time.

            But in this instance, the condemning tone of his voice only made Bill want to fight back. She mirrored his position and crossed her arms as she stood in front of his desk. “This is more important than whatever ‘stuff’ you have going on today.”

            “Oh?” The Doctor raised his eyebrows. “And how do you know that? For all you know, I could have been feeding the poor.”

            “Yeah, right, if feeding the poor is code for ‘Spending time with your psychotic time lord friend who may or may not want to destroy the entire world.’”

            The Doctor’s expression morphed into a puzzled frown. “Are you still angry with me for not taking you somewhere today?”

            His question surprised Bill, but it made her realise that she _was_ angry with him, but not for the obvious reason he had stated. She had gotten over that already. No, she was angry with him because…because…

            He had abandoned Jo. He had abandoned all of them, all of those people Jo had talked about. He hardly ever spoke of the others who had frequented the TARDIS, and yet after today, Bill knew that she was only the latest in a long line of companions.

            And deep down, she was afraid that one day she would be abandoned, too.

            The revelation scared and astonished her at the same time. She wanted answers.

            “The people before me. The ones you traveled with. You just…left them. You left them all alone, and they never saw you again.” The thoughts had come out a little jumbled, but by the way the Doctor’s eyes widened, she knew he had understood.

            “Some of them left me,” he said defensively. She noticed he hadn’t denied what she had said.

            “But even the ones who did; you never tried to see them?” She thought of Jo, of the look in her eyes when she had admitted that the Doctor hadn’t sought after her. “Because friends are supposed to stay in touch, no matter what happens. You’re supposed to phone each other and chat.” Bill took a step closer until she was right up against his desk and braced her arms on its surface. “You’re supposed to meet up for lunch when you’re both in town.” Her voice rose as her emotions swelled and she wondered what would happen to her once the Doctor left her. “You’re not just supposed to let them be and never say a word!”

            Her voice rang in the spacious office. Suddenly Bill realised that with the way she had been carrying on, she had just about been shouting in his face. She backed up a couple steps and huffed.

            Yet, the Doctor didn’t look affronted. He averted his gaze downwards, as if guilty. “Jo,” he said quietly, letting his arms fall to his sides. He met Bill’s eyes, and instead of defiance, there was only pain. “It was Jo, wasn’t it?”

            He didn’t look like the cold and unfeeling time lord she had just accused him of being; right now, he just about looked his age, and Bill wasn’t even sure what that was. She sighed and clasped her hands together in front of her.

            “She didn’t say any of that,” she told him, matching his volume.

            “Of course not. But you feel compassion for her, and you’re afraid that one day, you’ll be telling the same story she told you.”

            His words struck her because they were the absolute truth. To her chagrin, tears stung at her eyes and she looked down to avoid the Doctor’s gaze.

            “Bill.” His voice made her look back up at him. “Do you think I’d leave you, just like that?”

            “You left _her,”_ she said, pushing past the lump in her throat. “It sounded like you two were mates, just like we are now. But just because she got married, you let her go and never tried to see her again.”

            The Doctor sighed, pressing his lips into a thin line. His gaze shifted to one of the framed photographs sitting on his desk. “It was time for her to grow up. I taught her everything I could; I knew she had to make her own way.”

            “Yeah, so is that how it is?” Bill felt her anger flare up again. “One day you just decide we’ve learned enough and you push us out into the real world and disappear? Is that how this works? Because that’s not what I signed up for, Doctor, and that’s _not_ what friends do.”

            He flinched, as if her words had physically hurt him. He remained silent for a long time, and Bill tried to look at anything in the room other than him.

            “She wants to see me?” he asked.

            “Yeah, she’s coming here tomorrow. I’ll see you then.” And with that, Bill turned and walked out of his office, fighting the tears that were now blurring her vision.

 

* * *

 

 

            The Doctor strummed idly at his guitar, letting his fingers decide the melodies as his mind wandered thousands of miles away. He wasn’t sure how long he had been playing; his thoughts seemed to be endless, circling around and around inside his head. People he hadn’t given a thought to in years came back to him, and he found himself dwelling on old friendships and adventures.

            Remembering the friends he used to travel with opened a gaping wound in his hearts that throbbed and hurt like nothing else. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t keep up with them all. He couldn’t take that many goodbyes.

            Still, Bill was right. He had known it all along. None of it was fair, to him or to them. Love was a cruel thing; it took everything you had and then left you with nothing.

            That’s why he hadn’t wanted another companion. After what had happened with Clara, after what he had done to so many of his best friends…he didn’t want to keep hurting people. He didn’t want to keep hurting _himself._

            The Doctor sighed. It was rare that he allowed himself to dwell on the past. He had to keep moving forward, or else what would he become? A broken-hearted old time lord who had lost too many and seen too much.

            But he owed it to them. He owed it to all of them to remember, just this once.

            “Sorry, Sir, is this a bad time?”

            Reality came rushing back to the Doctor all at once. His senses suddenly took in how uncomfortable his body was after sitting on top of his desk for so long, and his fingertips ached terribly from pressing down the guitar’s metal strings.

            “What is it, Nardole?” the Doctor asked without looking up.

            “I have a list. From _her.”_

            “Put it down somewhere. I’ll look over it later.” He closed his eyes, trying to remember where he had been in his memories—

            “Are you all right?”

            The Doctor finally looked up so that he could train a glare on Nardole. “I’m never all right, you know that.” He nodded at the door. “Now go back to guarding the vault.”

            Nardole raised his eyebrows. “All right,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “I know when I’m not wanted.” He turned and walked out the door, muttering under his breath all the while.

            The Doctor shook his head and lifted the guitar strap over his shoulder. He leaned the instrument carefully against the side of his desk. There was no going back to his memories now; the moment had passed. But before he could move on completely, one of the photos on his desk caught his eye. He picked up the frame and brought it closer to his face.

            “How do you say hello to someone you promised you would see again, but never did?” He rubbed his thumb over the edge of the frame. Susan Foreman stared back at him, giving no answer. “Was I wrong to let you go? I was trying to do what was best for you.” He sighed and set the frame back down on his desk.

            “Give me a Dalek any day,” he muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.P.S. Couldn't resist the nod to The Missy Chronicles with Missy's frequent requests that the Doctor has to approve. Loved that book!
> 
> EDIT: As you can see, I've added another chapter because I just couldn't resist writing about...let's just say it's another reunion. ;) I promise I'm working on this, it's just difficult to get the next chapter right, and I'm also trying to work on my entries for the Big Finish competition at the same time. Hang on tight!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay, everyone! On top of this chapter being very difficult to write, I've had a lot of other writing deadlines recently, so I wasn't able to dedicate as much time to this fic as I wanted to. 
> 
> Anyway, I also wanted to warn you that there are some extended universe references in this like Death of the Doctor from The Sarah Jane Adventures and UNIT: Assembled (this chapter contains spoilers for both!), plus a more subtle, non-spoilery reference to one of my favourite Big Finish stories, Find and Replace. I've consumed just about every possible extended canon thing with Jo in it because I love her so much, so it was impossible for me not to make references to those things!
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter! I really hope I did everything justice.

            As Jo walked up to St. Luke’s University, fear gnawed at her gut. She was delighted to see the Doctor again, of course, but there was so much uncertainty too. What would his face look like this time? What would he think of her? What would they talk about?

            “Hey!”

            The cheery greeting pulled Jo from her thoughts and she saw Bill Potts getting up from a bench and setting down a notebook and pen beside her.

            “Oh, hello, darling!” Jo hugged her new friend with a hearty chuckle. “I’m so glad you’re here! I realised this morning that I had no idea where I was going once I got here.”

            “I thought about that too,” Bill said with a smile. “I have to work on a paper for the Doctor anyway, so I thought I’d write out here and wait.”

            Her demeanor was a touch less enthusiastic than Jo remembered from yesterday. If there was one thing she was good at after all these years, it was reading people. “Did something happen?”

            Bill’s frown told her everything. She gathered her supplies into a backpack and slung one strap over her shoulder before answering. “After we talked yesterday I just started thinking about all the people the Doctor’s traveled with. About how unfair it is.” She started walking towards the entrance to the university and Jo followed by her side.

            “What do you mean?”

            Bill’s brow furrowed and she led the way seemingly on autopilot, as she navigated a turn down a corridor without even looking up. “I did some research last night trying to find other people who traveled with the Doctor. And it’s not just a handful. It’s…a _lot_ of people, and those were only the ones I could find. I just keep thinking that the Doctor left them all. He sits here, in his office, grading papers, when he could be out there helping his friends, or at least popping in for a visit every now and then.” She scoffed and shook her head, gesturing with her hands. “He’s even got a bloody time machine!”

            Jo looked over at Bill. Somehow, she understood exactly where her frustration was coming from; maybe because, long ago, there was a time when Jo had felt it too.

            There had been one instance, after dealing with the Axons, when the Doctor had tried to leave Earth with only a flippant and hurried goodbye. That had made Jo realise, just as Bill was realising now, that being with the Doctor was something that would only last for a time. In a rush of memories, the feelings came back to Jo so clearly: the anger, the sting of betrayal; everything she was hearing from Bill right now.

            This was a crucial part of traveling with the Doctor: realising that a human and a time lord couldn’t run together forever. Jo longed to comfort Bill, but what could she say? She was absolutely right.

            “I didn’t mean to worry you,” Jo said, putting a hand on Bill’s back as they walked up a flight of stairs. “He’s not like that with everyone, you know. I had this friend, Sarah Jane Smith, who traveled with the Doctor right after I did. She saw him lots of times after she left the TARDIS.”

            Bill frowned thoughtfully. “I remember reading about her, I think. She’s a journalist, right?” Bill then cringed, as if wishing she could swallow the words. She paused at the top of a flight of stairs. “I mean…from what I read…I’m sorry,” she said simply, and the sincerity in her expression tugged at Jo’s heart.

            Jo hadn’t allowed herself to think too much about Sarah Jane’s death because it was just too much to bear: the tragedy that she had only met her once; the thought of those beautiful children on Bannerman Road having to mourn her loss; and the more selfish realisation that her own time on this Earth was growing ever shorter.

            Pushing away her thoughts, Jo replied after a moment. “Thank you.”

            “But couldn’t the Doctor have done something?” Jo could see the desperation in Bill’s eyes, the need for confirmation, for comfort. “If he did go back to see her all those times, why didn’t he save her?”

            Jo could have laughed, but stopped herself. She had harboured the exact same thought, though she had never spoken it aloud to anyone.

            “Bill.” Jo grasped her hands and looked right into her eyes. “Traveling with the Doctor doesn’t last forever, and I think you know that.” Bill nodded slowly, and Jo’s heart squeezed as tears pooled in Bill’s eyes. “Sometimes his companions aren’t given a choice. Sometimes they are, like I was. I chose to leave him because there’s always a time when you have to start your own life. Life with the Doctor, it won’t…it _can’t_ last forever.”

            “But what about everything we’ve done? He’s never even talked about you, never mentioned any of the others. Does he just…forget?”

            For once, Jo was glad that she had wondered about these very things so often, because now she had the chance to help someone else who was suffering like she had.

            Jo shifted her hands to Bill’s arms and rubbed them soothingly. “He’s not like us. Can you imagine living all that time, for hundreds of years, meeting so many people you loved and had adventures with, knowing that in the end you would have to let them all go because you live on? Can you imagine the pain he feels when he thinks about the people he’s lost? The ones he hasn’t seen in years? That’s why he can’t look back,” Jo said, echoing what the younger, bow tie-wearing Doctor had told her. “Because if he did, he couldn’t go on. And you and I both know that the universe needs him.”

            Bill looked down, and Jo knew she was finally starting to understand the truth. “But he never forgets,” Jo said. “Not one of us. Not one single adventure. He never forgets. And despite what he says, he needs us.” Jo squeezed her arm. “He needs _you.”_

            Bill’s eyes met hers, and in them was the smallest bit of hope. She chuckled and quickly wiped a hand over her eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Her smile grew wider. “You’re awesome, you know that?”

            “Oh darling,” Jo said, pulling her into a hug, “I think _you’re_ awesome!”

            Bill was still smiling as she pulled away from the short embrace. “The Doctor’s office is right down there,” she said, pointing down the corridor. “On the right.”

            Jo looked where she was pointing and saw an open doorway just down the hall. Fear suddenly gripped her again.

            “Right,” she said. “I suppose I’ll just…go, then.”

            “Catch you later,” Bill said with a wave. “And…thank you.” She flashed a grin before heading off back the way they had come.

            Jo smiled at the retreating form of Bill, but then took a deep breath and turned toward the doorway Bill had indicated. “Come on, Jo,” she muttered to herself. “It’s just the Doctor. He’ll be just as mad and silly as he always is.” Before she lost her nerve, Jo strode down the corridor. As she neared the door, she heard voices coming from the room.

            “…supposed to do when people come round?” a voice asked in a low Scottish rumble.

            “How should I know?” another, much higher voice replied. “No one ever comes round to see me. Although one time, when I visited my aunt—”

            “Not now,” the first voice cut him off. “You’ll scare her off. Go do something useful. Or not useful. Doesn’t matter which one, just go do something else.”

            The other person huffed. “I thought people were supposed to be happy when meeting old friends,” he muttered, and Jo realised too late that the voice was coming closer. There was nowhere for her to hide, so she simply stood in the middle of the hallway as a short, bald man came strolling out the office.

            “Oh!” he said, his invisible eyebrows rising high. He grinned. “You must be Jo.” He took her hand in both of his and shook it. “It’s lovely to meet you. I’m Nardole, the Doctor’s…”

            “Help,” the Scottish voice finished from inside.

            “Friend,” Nardole said at the same time, casting a frown back at the doorway. “Don’t mind him,” he said, lowering his voice. “He’s not as bad as he looks, really! He just gets a bit grumpy sometimes.”

            Jo had to laugh a little and responded at the same volume. “Trust me, I know all about the Doctor being grumpy. It’s very nice to meet you, Nardole.”

            He nodded his head in acknowledgement and then walked past her. There was silence.

            “Listening at doors is a bad habit, you know,” came the Scottish voice, though it was a little less curt now.

            Jo took a step forward, afraid to see the face that went with the harsh voice. “I wasn’t sure if I was interrupting something.” Another step. “I seem to remember a friend of mine always telling me to ‘wait’ and see how the situation plays out.” One more step, and she was in the doorway. And inside the room, pouring tea into a St. Luke’s mug, was a man who Jo had never seen before. In the moment before he looked up at her, she was able to study him.

            His hair was a little darker than her Doctor’s, though judging by the voice and his skin, she thought that he was probably close in age (well, in age appearance, anyway) to her Doctor. And close in age to herself, she thought with consternation.      

She noticed that he was very skinny; her Doctor had been broad, strong, and protective, while there was a more nimble-looking quality about this Doctor. However, the long dark coat he wore fanned around him, flashing a lighter coloured blue lining and creating an impressive and striking effect.

            Finally, as the Doctor finished pouring, he set the kettle down and looked up. Thick, stately eyebrows rested over light eyes and a thoughtful expression. His face was narrow, and deeply etched wrinkles told Jo that her theory about him being older again was right.

            But she was struck by the way his appearance was so similar (or maybe it was just so much _more_ similar than the last Doctor she had seen) to her Doctor. It took her breath away.

            She had been prepared for another young Doctor. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had made up this theory that he just kept getting younger, like the opposite of humans. She had never expected this.

            Before she could find anything to say the Doctor smiled, and Jo could have sworn it was the same smile she remembered, with his eyes crinkling at the corners.

But as quickly as it came it was gone, and a puzzled frown took its place.

            “Smiling,” he said, as if explaining. “I don’t usually smile like that. Feels a bit strange.”

            Jo finally caught up with herself and felt her lips stretch into a huge grin. “Oh, Doctor!” She ran into the office, around the desk, and grabbed him in a tight hug, leaning her head against his chest. He stood stiff but Jo hung on, so caught up in the moment that she hardly noticed. His double heartbeats thumped in her ear, just like she remembered. Then finally his arms settled around her and—

            _Velvet._ The feel of it against her skin was something like magic, recalling every moment running, every victory, every prison cell, every escape plan, every day watching him toy with some gadget or other in his laboratory. Somehow, more than anything, it was what made the Doctor _him;_ which she knew was absurd, but true it was.

            “Hello, Jo,” he said gently.

            Jo’s eyes stung with tears. After last time, she had always thought that _her_ Doctor was gone forever. But now, she knew it wasn’t so. It was still him, still that same man who had given her the crystal from Metebelis III and took her on rides in Bessie around the countryside.

            The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t do hugs too much either.”

            Jo drew away shaking her head and blinking back the tears. “Nonsense! I don’t believe that for one moment.” She quickly dried her eyes and looked him over once more. “You’ve changed again. The last time I met you, you were— But oh, has that happened yet?”

            “Bow Tie was my last face,” he affirmed. He looked down at himself and straightened his coat. “I thought it was time for a change.”

            Jo marveled at him again. “You look so much more like—like _you.”_ She knew it didn’t make sense, but there was a familiar gleam in the Doctor’s eye that told her he knew exactly what she was talking about. “But you’re Scottish!” she added. “I didn’t know you could do that!”

            “Change my accent?” the Doctor asked. He huffed with the shadow of a smile on his lips. “I can change my entire appearance, my face, my shoe size, my hair, my _gender,_ and you didn’t think I could change my accent?”

            Jo laughed. “You know me, Doctor. I never was all that bright.”

            “That’s not true,” the Doctor said. He reached down towards his desk and picked up one of two twin mugs of tea. As he handed it to her he smiled again, though this time it was warmer. “You’re one of the brightest people I’ve ever known.”

            Whether it was true or not, the Doctor said it like he really meant it, with a look in his eyes that Jo remembered so well; a look that gave you a big hug without having to move a muscle.

            After a moment of silence as they both sipped their tea, Jo took a good look around the room. It had the air of an office, but it was a very large one; bookshelves lined several of the walls, and another wall was completely taken up by beautifully designed windows. As she turned to look over her shoulder, she saw there was another doorway that led to a different corridor than the one she had entered from.

           Finally, she looked down at the desk she was halfway sitting on. Two framed pictures rested on the surface, and Jo didn’t recognise either of the two women in the photos. A mug sat on the desk, full of sonic screwdrivers. And just to the left of centre sat a large stack of papers.

            “So,” Jo began looking back up at the Doctor, “I hear you’re a professor now.” She laughed a little. “Did the time lords exile you here again?”

            He didn’t meet her gaze or share her lightheartedness. “No. It’s a…personal project.”

            So he wasn’t going to tell her, then. The thought made her heart sink. She didn’t mean as much to him as she used to, but of course that was expected. It was just that…well, actually being on the receiving end of it wasn’t easy. She remembered the days when he would trust her with everything.

            “You’ve been much more interesting,” he said, the smile returning. “All those protests, while still having time to spend with your family. _And,”_ he added, “that recent business with the Silurians.”

            Jo laughed. “Oh, in a way, I missed it all so much. UNIT has changed a lot since my day—well, _our_ day—but some things haven’t changed at all.” She gave him a pointed look. “Though we did all wonder where _you_ were.”

            “Busy,” he mumbled into his mug before taking a sip of tea. “Kate can handle most things.”

            “Oh, she was _brilliant!”_ Jo exclaimed. “So much like the Brigadier, but so much like you, too. And Osgood,” she added with a laugh, “completely mad, just like you. She just about had a heart attack when she met me; I thought I must be a celebrity or something!”

            “They told me about how you went down alone with the Sea Devils.”

            “Osgood came up with another name for them that was a little less…offensive. Though, of course, I’ve gone and forgotten it.” Jo frowned as she recalled her resolution to go alone. “But I had to go. After you tried so hard to make peace with them, and then the Master and the Brigadier got in the way…I had to try.”

            “It was reckless,” the Doctor said disapprovingly.

            “Maybe,” Jo said, “but it was what you would’ve done, and I’m not sorry.”

She hardly had to even give a thought to telling him the truth of what really happened; she would trust him with absolutely anything.

            “I suppose if you know about it, then Kate told you that their base was destroyed?” she continued.

            “Yes,” he said with a sigh.

            Jo had to smile. For once, she knew something he didn’t. “But it wasn’t.”

            The Doctor looked up at her sharply, those great eyebrows furrowing over his eyes and giving him a severe expression.

            “They went back into hibernation!” she exclaimed, growing more excited now that she could finally tell someone. “Their leader and I agreed to make it look like they had been destroyed so that the they weren’t blamed for all the Silurian mess or caught up in it. They’re safe down in their base in hibernation, and they’ll be ready to peacefully talk with humans once they’ve woken up.”

            Jo relished the look of utter shock and surprise on the Doctor’s face. She thought she had never seen him so surprised.

            “Jo,” he said in awe.

            “I had to finish what you started, Doctor. Though I didn’t really succeed, I was at least able to keep them safe.”

            “Succeed?” He huffed. “Jo, you _excelled._ You’ve just made peace a possibility where it wouldn’t have been one.”

            She couldn’t stop smiling at the sound of his approval. “It means so much to me, you know, to hear you say that. All I ever wanted was to be like you, fighting injustice and righting wrongs around the world.”

            The Doctor looked down at his desk and swirled around the tea in his mug. Jo could just see the look in his eyes: guilt. She wondered if Bill had voiced her worries to him.

            “Did Bill talk to you?” she asked gently. She could never stand the sight of the vigorous, vibrant time lord looking so dejected.

            He half-smiled, still keeping his eyes downcast. “She was scared.”

            “I know. She talked to me too.” Jo laid a hand on his arm. “I don’t hold it against you, you know. I could never be angry with you, Doctor. I know that this is the way it has to be: we all have to keep moving on. And I think we all understand that.”

            He sighed. “Does it make it any less wrong?” he asked.

            “It’s not wrong.” She squeezed his arm. “It’s _life._ Sometimes we lose people, but we always find new friends. It doesn’t mean we forget the times we had with our old friends.” She looked at him with his head bowed, like he was carrying the weight of the universe on his shoulders. “I could never forget,” she said softly. “Never.”

            When he didn’t respond, Jo decided to continue on and try to cheer him up. “Do you remember that time when I stayed with you all night while you worked on the TARDIS? You sang songs, told stories—”

            “And you fell asleep after about half an hour,” he finished. His lips twitched into a smile.

            Jo laughed. “You do remember!”

            “Like you said,” he began, finally looking up into her eyes, “I could never forget those times, Jo. Not for the universe.”

            Jo hopped off the desk and hugged him around the neck, feeling her heart swell. He really was the Doctor she remembered.

            In backing away, Jo’s elbow collided with the stack of papers on the Doctor’s desk and the top half slid to the floor. Jo exclaimed in aggravation and then bent over to scoop up the fallen papers.

            “Sorry,” Jo muttered. “The clumsiness never really went away, you see.”

            The Doctor didn’t answer. Jo straightened the papers in her hand and set them back on the desk. The Doctor had a previously folded paper open and held up close to his face.

            “Doctor?”

            His eyes grew wide. Jo shifted, and, with the way the light was hitting the paper, she could see straight through it.

            On the paper was written “Jo Grant” over and over again, in all different sizes, occupying every available space on the otherwise blank sheet of paper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll notice that I added an extra chapter to this fic...
> 
> Let's just say that there's another reunion I couldn't resist. ;) Coming soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TA-DA!!! Here it is, the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy! :D

            The Doctor crumpled up the paper quickly and threw it over his shoulder. He dashed straight for the TARDIS.  

            “Be right back,” he said. “I have to do a thing.”

 _The TARDIS._ Jo had already noticed it, of course, but she hadn’t really looked at it until now. Its exterior was pristine, like it had jut gotten a new coat of paint, and Jo wondered if that was the Doctor’s doing.

            She shook away her thoughts and ran after the Doctor. “But that had my name on it!” she protested as she entered the TARDIS and shut the door behind her.

            Jo had to pause in the doorway. The inside was _massive;_ well, of course it was, but it was even more massive than before, if she remembered correctly. There was a second level now, lined with bookshelves. She saw some comfortable looking chairs scattered about too, as well as a guitar amp.

            When Jo realised the Doctor hadn’t spoken, she reluctantly pulled herself away from studying the TARDIS interior.

            “Stay here, Jo.” His tone of voice was calm, but his eyes displayed his resoluteness. “I promise you, I’ll be right back. You won’t even know I’ve left.”

            “This is about me, isn’t it? And about why you’re here, on Earth.”

            “I just have to take care of something,” he insisted.

            “Is it dangerous?”

            He didn’t answer, but there was something shining in his eyes. He knew. He _remembered._ How many times had they repeated almost this exact conversation?

            “Well, that does it then,” Jo continued, planting her feet beside the console. “I’m coming with you. Someone has to look out for you, even if I’m not exactly as…sprightly as I used to be.”

            Something shone in the Doctor’s eyes, like a sort of revelation. His expression brightened and he even smiled. “Okay,” he said, frowning again, “but you have to do _exactly_ as I say. No arguing.”

            “I’ll do my best,” was all she could manage. She never had been very good at following orders. “Can’t you tell me what it is?”

            The Doctor pulled a lever on the console. Lights flashed around the room and Jo looked up, forgetting about her question entirely. Circular symbols that Jo vaguely remembered rotated above the console, and the glowing time rotor pumped up and down.

            And that noise…that mad, grating, beautiful noise.

            The TARDIS landed only a moment later—so much quicker than it used to, it seemed—and the Doctor looked very serious. “Not what,” he said, and it took Jo a moment to realise he was answering her question, at least in part. He walked past her and straightened his coat. He opened one of the TARDIS doors. _“Who,”_ he finished.

            Jo still didn’t understand, but then the Doctor had always liked to be mysterious and let her figure things out on her own. She didn’t question him further, even as they stepped out of the TARDIS into darkness. A sharp, damp smell assaulted Jo’s nostrils.

            Ahead sat something glowing; a giant door, it seemed like, though the only illumination came from small, colourful lights on a panel attached to the door, so it was difficult to tell. The Doctor rushed forward and began poking around the panel, like he was performing an activation sequence.

            Jo caught up slowly as she carefully picked her way through the darkness. “Where are we?” she whispered, as it seemed appropriate. “Is this a prison?”

            “Still at the university,” he responded at a normal volume, making Jo jump. “And yes.”

            Jo ran her fingers over a raised symbol on the door; the same kind of symbol that she had just noticed in the TARDIS. “You made this, didn’t you?”

            “Yes.” He inserted some sort of key into a lock and turned it. Two doors began to swing open outwards, and bright light flooded into the chamber.

            But before the doors could open fully, the Doctor grabbed Jo’s arm and squeezed it. She blinked and focused on his intense gaze.

            “Do everything I say, Jo Jones, and not a step out of line.”

            Jo just nodded and allowed the Doctor to walk in front of her. It reminded her of the old days, when they would enter unfamiliar territory and the Doctor would go first to protect her.

            The doors shut behind them with a ring of finality.

            As her eyes adjusted to the light, Jo found something oddly familiar about the white walls, the confined feel of the room, and facing someone dangerous with the Doctor at her side. Before she even had a chance to survey where they were, she blurted out the revelation as it came to her.

            “The Master!”

            Jo heard a sharp, feminine gasp. A woman at the other end of the room stood and turned to face them. The Doctor visibly tensed and stepped more fully in front of Jo.

            The woman’s features didn’t ring any bells, but even from a distance Jo could tell that there was something severe about them. The mystery prisoner began walking forward.

            “You brought me what I wanted,” she stated in a clearly Scottish accent.

            “Is everyone Scottish around here?” Jo chuckled, though really the woman’s words put her on edge.

            “She insisted on coming,” the Doctor said, ignoring Jo entirely. “It doesn’t mean I’m letting you anywhere near her.”

            And yet the prisoner continued to advance until Jo could get a better look at her. High cheekbones, neatly done hair, thin eyebrows, and piercing eyes gave her the air of an old schoolmistress, but something about her struck Jo. It was something _familiar._

            “Oh please,” the woman sighed with a roll of her eyes, “what am I going to do, strangle her? I can’t even hypnotise her anymore, since she so annoyingly figured out how to avoid that.”

            Jo’s mouth dropped open. She reached for the Doctor’s arm and gripped it tightly with both hands. “But—but she can’t really be—”

            “My dear Miss Grant,” the woman began in a mockery of the voice Jo once knew so well, “didn’t the Doctor ever tell you about regeneration? Girl power, right?” She winked at Jo and grinned widely, showing off her teeth.

            Jo shivered. The grin wasn’t one of friendship; in fact, it gave Jo the feeling that she was being hunted by a hungry predator.

            “It’s the Master. You’re guarding _the Master.”_

            The Master laughed, a high, chattering sound. “Guarding me, is that what you told her? And it’s Missy now, dear.”

            Jo hardly paid attention to what Missy was saying, she was so caught up in her thoughts. This was impossible. Absolutely impossible. And yet…she knew it was true.

            “The paper,” Jo realised. “That was you. You gave it to the Doctor.”

            “I send him requests,” Missy explained, now beginning to slowly circle them. The Doctor turned with her and Jo did likewise. “I heard you were coming and included you in my list.”

            “Included me? I was the only thing on the paper!”

            “Yes, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other!” Missy said excitedly, as if they were best friends. “I heard you got married and had a million children; so boring, just what I’d expect of you.”

            Anger flared up inside of Jo, but she reminded herself that this was the Master and took a deep breath to cool down. It would be just like him…or _her,_ she supposed, to wind her up on purpose.

            “My life has been far from boring, thank you very much.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stood a little straighter. “How did you end up in here? Did the Doctor foil another one of your silly plans?”

            Jo felt the Doctor grab her arm. “Yes,” he said, at the same time Missy said, “No.” The Doctor tugged Jo back towards the door and she followed his pull.

            “He saved me.”

            Jo rooted herself to the spot and looked into Missy’s eyes. “What?”

            “I was going to be executed, but the Doctor couldn’t have that. No, he came to my rescue and then locked me up in here.”

            Jo looked up at the Doctor, expecting him to contradict her statement, but his lips were pressed into a thin line and his eyes glared daggers at Missy.

            “How could you do that?” Jo asked, turning around to face the Doctor. “How could you let the Master live, after everything he’s—she’s done?”

            “Yes, Doctor, do tell us.”

            Jo jumped at the sound of Missy’s voice right behind her and sidestepped so that she could see both the Doctor and Missy at the same time.

            The Doctor looked at Missy first, and then Jo. “There’s good in everyone. Even her.”

            “But you can’t try to change _her!_ She’s the Master!”

            _“Missy,”_ Missy insisted under her breath.

            “I can try,” the Doctor said, his eyes wide and imploring her to understand. “I _have_ to try.”

            “That’s what this was about,” Jo realised, finally understanding that strange look he had given her when she had insisted on coming. “It was a sort of test to see how she'd react to me.”

            Out of the corner of her eye, Jo noticed Missy gleefully soaking up their conversation.

            “I knew she couldn’t hurt you.”

            Not a denial, an excuse.

            Anger compounded on top of the fear and shock that had already been building up inside of Jo, and finally it came bursting out of her. “Is this what you’re like now, toying with people like they’re part of one of your experiments? She’s probably murdered hundreds, maybe thousands, and you’re testing her on real people? I don’t matter, I’m just one life; but if you unleash her on the world, Doctor, how many lives will you be risking? How many lives are you willing to risk for her sake?”

The tension was so thick that Jo could almost physically feel it. And then, suddenly, it was shattered by a giggle.

            “Well _done,_ Jo! I forgot about that fiery spirit. Really, Doctor, why did you abandon this one? So much more entertaining than some of your other pets.”

            Missy’s words performed the function Jo knew they were intended for as they sent a knife through her. _Abandon. Entertaining. Pets._

The Doctor latched onto Jo’s hand. The doors behind them opened and the Doctor pulled her the rest of the way out as Missy just smiled after them.

            “Do come back, dear, we have so much to catch up on!”

            And then the doors closed, and it was dark.

            Jo hardly waited for her eyes to adjust before she began tramping back towards the TARDIS, the soft light from its windows guiding her way. It had been silly to get so angry, she supposed, but then the Master had always known exactly how to push her buttons.

            The Doctor’s compassion, his faith in his worst enemy, was almost admirable. The part that stung was the thought of being used, of being an object, of not meaning as much to him as she once did.

            She had known, she had _always_ known that seeing future incarnations of the Doctor would only make her miserable. But somehow, she had never been able to keep away.

            The Doctor didn’t say a word as he entered the TARDIS a few seconds after her. He started up the engines, though his movements seemed more measured than earlier, and when the TARDIS stopped he didn’t make a move to leave.

            Neither did Jo.

            “I’m sorry,” he sighed, his words cutting through the stillness. “I shouldn’t have brought you into this.” He glanced up at her, though he didn’t hold her gaze for long.

            _Ashamed._ She could count on one hand the amount of times she had seen the Doctor apologise; just the simple fact that he had told her he was sorry warmed her heart.

            “I’m sorry too; I shouldn’t have acted that way.” She found herself chuckling at the thought of the Doctor and the Master again. “Just like old times.”

            The Doctor’s lips twitched into a half-smile. “Minus the goatee.”

            That made her laugh even more, and she walked over to the Doctor to wrap her arms around him in another hug. As she pulled away from him, she looked seriously into his eyes. “Please do be careful, Doctor. I know that she’s your friend and I don’t really understand everything between you, but she’s dangerous.”

            He didn’t answer. Instead, he inclined his head towards the doors and they exited the TARDIS to find Bill browsing one of the bookshelves in the Doctor’s office. She looked over at them and waved.

            “Hey, I came to see if you had a minute,” she said to the Doctor. On seeing Jo, she raised her eyebrows and a hint of sarcasm entered her tone. “Did you meet the crazy woman he keeps down in the basement?”

            “Unfortunately, I’ve met her before.”

            Bill crossed her arms over her chest. Clearly, she agreed with Jo on the Doctor’s futile effort to reform Missy. “I think it’s the stupidest idea the Doctor’s ever had, but he won’t listen to me.”

            “You do know I’m standing right here?” the Doctor spoke up.

            Bill grinned and walked towards them. “I’m not afraid to call you stupid to your face, old man.”

            Jo had to smile at the feeling of familiarity and warmth between them.

            “Sorry if I’m interrupting something,” Bill continued, “but I need to talk to you,” she said to the Doctor.

            ‘That’s all right,” Jo said, realising what Bill meant, “I can go outside and wait—”

            Bill’s eyes widened. “No! It’s totally okay if you stay. I just needed to…apologise,” she sighed, looking at the Doctor. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I shouldn’t have assumed I knew what it was like for you. I know it can’t be easy after all the friends you’ve had, and…” She glanced at Jo before casting her gaze downwards. “I lost my mum; I didn’t really even lose her, I don’t even remember her. But that hurts me every single day. After everyone you’ve lost, I…” She swallowed and finally met the Doctor’s eyes again. “It wasn’t fair for me to assume you don’t care. I can’t even imagine what that feels like.”

            Her words touched Jo’s very heart. It was so heartfelt, so sincere, that it just about brought tears to Jo’s eyes.

            The Doctor shifted his weight, obviously uncomfortable. He nodded once. “Apology accepted.”

            “But,” Bill said, a little more lighthearted, “I still think we need to start a club.”

            Jo laughed at the mention of what Bill had brought up at their first meeting. “’The Doctor’s Club?’” Jo asked, spreading her hands as if showing the title spread on a banner.

            “’My Best Friend’s an Alien?'” Bill said, and they both burst into laughter.

            The Doctor simply raised an eyebrow. “Now _that_ is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.”

            Jo elbowed him in the side. “Oh, cheer up, you.” She waved him towards the desk. “Come on, I think the three of us could all use a cup of tea.”

            Then the Doctor grinned. “Or…” He raised his eyebrows in expectation, and Jo knew exactly what he was thinking.

            “Oh, no,” Jo said, holding up her hands, “I can’t, I have so many responsibilities and—”

            _“Yes!”_ Bill exclaimed with an excited jump. “Come on, just one trip!” She looked about ready to burst with excitement. “He’ll make sure it’s safe, right?” she said with a grin, looking up at the Doctor.

            “Yeah, right!” Jo said with a laugh. “After all these years, I bet you still don’t really know how to fly the TARDIS!”

            “He doesn’t,” Bill said in a mock-whisper, though she kept her gaze on the Doctor, who had a tremendous frown on his face.

            “You know, I don’t have to take you anywhere at all.”

            “Yeah, but you want to.” Bill looked imploringly at Jo again. “Please?

            Jo couldn’t fight the looks of hope in both of their eyes. She didn’t even have to say yes; they both saw it the moment she decided, and Bill ran ahead while the Doctor took Jo’s hand and jogged back into the TARDIS.

            The brush of the velvet against her arm made Jo think about the old times again. Yes, she had had her time with the Doctor, and they were the best memories of her life. But seeing him again now _was_ worth it. It would always be worth it.

            However, her thoughts weren’t so forgiving a couple hours later as she sat shivering in a ditch between Bill and the Doctor, hardly daring to breathe as an alien assassin stalked them.

            But that was just life with the Doctor, wasn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you ask, I probably won't write about the Doctor, Bill, and Jo's adventure unless I get a really great idea so...we'll see ;) 
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking with me through this fic! I appreciate all of the comments and kudos more than you know! I'm just glad that you guys love these characters as much as I do. :)


End file.
